“I Think Of You As A Goon”
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
That was the “warm” welcome given to Bill O’Reilly by Late Night host David Letterman when the FOX News personality appeared on last night’s show. O’Reilly, who was famously told by Letterman during a 2006 appearance on the program, “I have the feeling that about 60% of what you say is crap,” seemed mostly amused by the Late Night host’s banter, including a semi-compliment from Letterman who said, “You’re too smart to believe what you say.” When asked if he thought Rush Limbaugh was really the head of the Republican party, O’Reilly told Letterman, “He’s a radio talk show guy, he goes on the radio — just like you go on TV — he does his show and you either like it or you don’t. Nobody forces anyone to watch you, or listen to Limbaugh, so why cheap shot the guy?” O’Reilly also noted he believes his own departure from Talk radio last month likely benefitted Limbaugh. “Who did that help?” O’Reilly asked rhetorically. “Rush Limbaugh. His ratings went through the roof. I used to compete with him and now his ratings are higher.” Check out video of the conversation between Letterman and O’Reilly by clicking on the Late Show link at www.cbs.com.
In the May 2009 edition of Vanity Fair writer Michael Wolff takes more than just a few personal shots at Premiere Radio Networks host Rush Limbaugh and also predicts a dark view of the future for conservative Talk radio. “The only sensible market view of conservative Talk is that it will contract and be reduced, in the coming years, to a much more rarified format,” writes Wolff. Reporting that the average age of conservative Talk radio listeners is “67 and rising,” Wolff also quotes veteran broadcast consultant and former Air America Radio exec Jon Sinton as saying, “What sort of continuing power do you have as your audience strokes out? There are fewer advertisers, fewer listeners, shrinking networks and shallower penetration. A lowering tide lowers all ships.” Wolff also says Sinton believes that, despite Limbaugh’s rise in ratings in recent months, in the end Talk radio’s demographics will be the host’s undoing. “It’s a last hurrah,” Sinton tells Wolff in the feature article. “Because it isn’t and has never been first and foremost about politics. It’s always been about radio. And that endgame is written.” You can read the full feature online at 
That’s the fear expressed by Greater Media CEO Peter Smyth in the latest post to his monthly Corner Office column on the company’s website. His commentary was in response to a conversation he overheard at the recent RAB Conference suggesting it was time for station’s to kill online streaming to cut expenses. “These broadcasters appeared to have no worries that their audience is being seduced by the personalization and convenience of the digital entertainment world,” says Smyth. “It is vital for radio to follow our audience, to make ourselves available on new platforms and in new forms as the digital environment changes. The radio industry is so fixated on the past that it cannot see that the future is now. The future, and the opportunities it holds, are upon us. The only question is whether we want to be a player or a spectator.” Read more of Smyth’s important comments on this hot topic at 
Radio industry veteran and former Arbitron VP/Programming Bob Michaels will host a free webinar, PPM Straight Talk, next Wednesday, April 8, at 3pm (ET). The latest in a series of online tutorials sponsored by The Conclave, Michaels — now a consultant to broadcasting clients nationwide through his own company MediaSense — will offer programmers and managers unbiased straight talk about electronic audience measurement and Arbitron’s Portable People Meter, something he’s been deeply immersed in since PPM’s beginnings in 1992. For those not yet in a PPM market, Michaels also promises to bring valuable insights and info to help stations succeed in diary, and even non-rated markets. The webinar is free, but pre-registration is required. Sign up now at 
